


The tale of a downfall

by macgoldenof



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying Otis, F/M, Sad Otis, Tears have been spilled writing this, Worried Maeve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24164269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macgoldenof/pseuds/macgoldenof
Summary: After Otis’ worst nightmares become real he starts a free fall into what he feels a bottomless pit of sorrow, despair and pain. Will anyone be able to help him in that situation?Story set after S2 ending.
Relationships: Otis Milburn/Maeve Wiley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	The tale of a downfall

After the weekend passed Otis decided to speak with Maeve that same Monday. He knew he was not going to be able to forgive himself unless he made things better with Maeve. He saw her in front of her locker and decided to go for it.

“Hello Maeve.”

Maeve didn’t even look at him.

“Ok. I need to know if you had heard the voicemail that I left you last Friday.”

Maeve still was not looking at him.

Otis decided to stay there, he really needed to make the situation better and for that he needed to know Maeve’s opinion about the voicemail.

Otis stood for a while before Maeve said to him without even looking. “Is my silence not enough of an answer for you Otis? I don’t want to speak with you. Not now, not ever again.”

Those words completely shattered Otis. He expected Maeve to not forgive from the get-go, but he still imagined that there would be some way for him to fix all the hurt he has inflected in Maeve. However Maeve’s words made Otis’ worst nightmares real, any future he hoped to have together was no longer a possibility, their friendship was not a thing anymore and the most amazing person he had ever met, the one he loved so much, hated him now. Before leaving Maeve, he managed to say: “I’m so sorry Maeve.”

Otis started to walk mindlessly through Moordale expecting to find the only person that could help him in the slightest in that moment. It didn’t take him long to find Eric. As Otis reached Eric and hugged him and finally let all the tears he had been holding let go.

Eric who had never seen at Otis like that asked him. “What is happening Otis?”

“Maeve doesn’t want to speak with me never again. How could I have been such a big arsehole?” Said Otis with tears in his eyes.

Eric knew Otis well enough to know that there were no words he could say to make Otis feel better, so he hugged him hoping to make him feel something better. Eric had seen Otis in his bad moments, but nothing even close to this.

* * *

On the next day Otis was called to the Principal’s office. At that moment, after Ms. Maxime was substituting Mr. Groff temporarily as the new Principal while a new one was being looked for.

“So, Otis do you know why you are here?” Asked Maxime.

“The clinic.”

“Exactly. As you can imagine we take very seriously something like that. Offering sex advice while not being qualified to do so was very dangerous. Doing it while taking money for the advice was a terrible thing to do. I hope you understand.”

“I do.” Said Otis who was just looking at the ground.

“In order to take any decision about the possible consequences I need to more information first. How did the clinic work? Was there anyone else involved? For how long it has been happening?”

Without any hesitation Otis answered. “I’m the sole responsible for the clinic. It was my idea to give advice and to take the money. People asked me for an appointment, I booked them, collected the money and I did the therapy. It has been going since the start of the year.” Otis didn’t like to lie, but he decided to fall on his sword and took full responsibility hoping that they would never discover about Maeve’s involvement.

“What do you think we should do with you Otis?”

“I think I deserve to be expelled.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, I have been playing a really dangerous game for my own personal selfish benefit for far too long. Things could have gone really bad at some point, just look at what happened with Liam at the ball.”

“This is why Liam almost killed himself? That’s really serious Otis, much more than I expected.”

“I know.”

“I that’s the case I agree with you Otis, I think you should be expelled. Please let me give you the documents so your mother can bring them back signed so we can arrange all the formalities regarding the expulsion.”

Otis wished that he had some will to fight inside him, something that had tried to remain at Moordale, but after Maeve’s words he really didn’t care about anything anymore, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have had the energy to do it.

After coming out of the Principal’s office Otis went to his locker to pick up his things. As he was doing that Eric arrived.

“What’s wrong Otis?” Eric asked noticing the sadness in Otis’ face.

“I have been expelled from Moordale.”

“What? Why?”

“The clinic.”

“I imagined it, but what has happened?”

“They asked me a bunch of questions about it. And I decided to take full responsibility and said I was the only one involved.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I have hurt Maeve enough already. It’s just time to do something good for her, she deserves her opportunity to go to college to become whatever she decides to be and I’m not going to be an obstacle for that.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know, and I just don’t really care Eric.” Said Otis totally defeated before going away.

As Otis arrived home Jean was on the kitchen.

“Hi Otis. Aren’t you early today?”

Otis wasn’t able to look directly at her face, he felt like a disappointment to her. “Mum, these are the documents about getting expelled from Moordale, please sign them and bring them back to school so they can arrange everything.”

“Expelled? Why?”

“The clinic.”

“What are you going to do now Otis?”

“I don’t care mum.”

“What about your education?”

“My education? To become what? A sex therapist like dad?”

“Otis you could become anything you want. And if you were a sex therapist, you will be better than him.”

“I’m just a younger version of him and I will become an arsehole like him.” He sighed. “Well, to be honest, I’m already an arsehole like him.”

“Otis you have always been a better person than your dad.”

“I’m an awful person even if you don’t want to see it mum. I’m not the right one to try to help anyone.”

“Otis, sweetheart…”

“I’m sorry mum, for how much I have hurt you, for everything. I don’t deserve you and you deserve a better son than me, someone good, someone normal.” Otis said before starting to go upstairs while he started to sob.

Jean’s heart was broken after what Otis had said. He loved her son no matter what and she knew she had never seen him like that, with so much pain inside.

As he arrived at his bedroom and sat on his bed, Otis started to think in the prospect of a life being a guy in the corner again. He hated the idea, he didn’t want that anymore, especially not after living a different better life for a while. But he thought that keeping anyone from getting close with him again was the only way to keep those people safe from his never-ending ability to hurt them. He was not sure why he had this ability, either it’s the part that comes from his dad or if it’s just something that he has learnt to do as he has grown up, but it didn’t matter, he had it and he needed to deal with its consequences.

Jean tried to talk to his son several times, but every time she knocked on the door there was no response from the other side. She was getting frustrated, even with all her experience and knowledge as a therapist, at that moment she couldn’t help the person she loved the most.

* * *

It was Friday. Eric was at school really worried for Otis, he saw his pain the last time they spoke and he had not answered any of his calls or messages. He was really frustrated for not being able to help him. For what he managed to speak with Jean the situation was really bad. He was distracted in his thoughts when he was interrupted by Maeve, who after not seeing Otis for a couple of days decided to ask Eric about him.

“Hello Eric.”

“Hello Maeve.” Eric said. He knew that Maeve was the reason why Otis felt like that, but he was so worried for him, that he couldn’t even be angry at her.

“Where is Otis? I have not seen him in a few days.”

“He was expelled Maeve.”

“Expelled?” Asked Maeve really worried since she had been in that situation before and knew how difficult was to come back from it.

“Yeah. He was interrogated about the clinic and the decision was to expel him.”

“The clinic? Then why I’m still here and Otis has been expelled when the 2 of us had been involved?”

“He took the full responsibility. He said that he was the only one involved.”

“Why would he do that?”

“In his own words? Because after how much he has hurt you it was time to do something good and he didn’t want to be an obstacle for you to go to college.”

“How is he?”

“I had never seen Otis so sad as he was after the last time he spoke with you. And getting expelled didn’t help, he looked like he had just surrendered. For what I have spoken with his mum things have not improved a tiny bit, he is not even talking to her.”

“That bad?” Asked Maeve knowing she was the main cause of Otis’ downfall.

“That bad Maeve. I’m really worried for him. He has not answered my calls or my messages, and he had never done that before. I wish I could do anything for him, but I feel unable to help him, and I don’t know what I can do.” Eric said before starting to cry.

Maeve hugged Eric. Seeing such a happy and optimist person like Eric so concerned for his friend made her really worried for Otis.

* * *

The last few days had been a personal hell for Otis. He felt that he had spent all the time he had been awake crying. He didn’t like the idea of leaving his mum and Eric in the dark, he hoped that sometime soon he would be able to, at least, have some conversation with them, but he was not even close to that.

During that time, he couldn’t avoid remembering all the different times he had been an arsehole. That made him realise that he had to go ahead with his plan, no matter how painful it was for him to renounce to everything he had ever dreamed.

* * *

After the conversation with Eric Maeve couldn’t stop thinking in Otis and how bad he was feeling according to Eric. She decided to visit him that same afternoon.

Now in front of the Milburn’s residence she couldn’t avoid feeling extremely nervous, but she needed to see Otis, so she mustered all her courage and pushed the doorbell.

Jean opened the door. “Hello.”

“Hello, I’m Maeve. I’m an Otis’ friend from school. I would like to speak with him.”

“Sure, anything that can help him.” Said Jean with obvious sadness in her voice.

“How is he?”

“I have never seen him like that. He has always been fast to close himself off in bad moments, but nothing like this. In the past there was always a way to get to him back, to help him open again. Right now though…” Jean sighed. “…he is not letting anyone in, not Eric, not me, and the two of us have tried but he is not even dismissive, he is just not there. I know that he is in great pain, I just hope that if I’m not able to help him now, at least I will be able to help him soon.”

“Let’s hope I can help him then.” Said Maeve trying to comfort Jean.

* * *

Maeve opened the door only to find him on his bed with her head between her knees crying so loudly you could hear the sorrow, despair and pain inside him.

“Hi Otis.”

After a moment. “Hello Maeve.” Said Otis while keeping the head on his knees, and after that he cried even harder even if that seemed somehow impossible.

Maeve sat next to him and put her arm over his shoulders. “What’s wrong Otis?” She said in the most tender voice she could.

“I’m wrong Maeve, everything in me is wrong, there is nothing good in me.”

“That’s not true Otis.”

“I’m a horrible person, I’m an arsehole like my dad.”

“You may have acted like an arsehole sometimes, but you are not one, and you are not a horrible person by any means.”

“The only thing I managed in my life is to hurt the people I care the most in my life, my mum, Eric and you, how can I be so fucked up?”

“You are not fucked up.”

Listening to Otis saying those things made Maeve worry for him, he sounded completely miserable and that made her feel bad, she wanted to help him in any way she could.

“Otis please tell me how you feel.”

“I feel rotten inside.”

“Come on Otis. Someone rotten wouldn’t be as caring, understanding or kind as you are. You have such a big heart, you need to see it.”

“I wish I had never been born, or that I could disappear. At least the lives of all the people around me would be much better since I would not be around to hurt them.”

“We all make mistakes Otis. But be sure that Eric, your mum, and me, specially me Otis, we all feel incredibly lucky for having you in our lives.”

“I hate myself.”

“Don’t say that Otis, please don’t say that.” Maeve implored him while she was doing her best to be able to hold the tears she felt in her eyes.

Maeve was getting desperate to be able to make things better for Otis. Listening his self-loathing made Maeve feel terrible, she was worried for him. Not even after all the hurt Otis has caused to her, she had wanted him to feel like that at any moment. He had made mistakes, but he still was the best thing that has happened in her life, he was a wonderful person that didn’t deserve to torment himself so much.

“Otis, let me be here for you.”

“Why? I realised that I don’t deserve you, I was never good enough for you and I will never be. You deserve a person that treats you as the amazing person you are, someone who doesn’t hurt you, someone good, someone better than me.”

“Otis you are an amazing guy. You are better than anyone else I have met in my life.”

“I don’t think anyone can consider me that anymore after all of what I have done.”

She gently took him and put his head over her shoulder while hugging him.

“Otis, you shouldn’t put yourself down so much, you are a wonderful person.”

“How can you say that Maeve after how much I have hurt you?”

“Because in the same way I have known your worst part, I have also got to know the best one. The Otis that cares about other people, the one that always tries to make up for his errors, the one that never judged me and always stood by my side.”

“I’m sorry Maeve, for everything”

“I know you are Otis.” She said while caressing his hair.

“I don’t know how I can make up for you for all my mistakes.”

“First, cheer up Otis, I don’t want to see you like you are now ever again.” With a more playful tone she added. “And second, please try to keep your drunk speeches to a minimum in the future.” Otis chuckled at that and Maeve felt happy and relieved of being able to make that blue-eyed awkward boy of hers that she was totally in love with feel somewhat better.

Since the moment he entered the room she knew that it didn’t matter how much she had tried to lie to herself, she still loved Otis.

They stayed like that for a while before sitting one in front of the other looking at each other’s eyes.

“I’m also sorry Otis.”

“What for? You are not the one that had made the mistakes here.”

“I made a big mistake Otis. I should have spoken with you earlier this week, I know that I’m the main reason why you have reached this state. I should have never let you feel as you have been feeling these last few days.”

“You had reasons not to speak with me.”

“Maybe, but it was still a mistake, and I’m going to fix it now. What do you want to talk about Otis?”

“There were a few things I wanted to talk you about, mainly about a voicemail I left you.”

“Voicemail? What voicemail?”

“The one I left you last Friday.”

“I didn’t have any voicemail from you.”

“Did Isaac not tell you about it?”

“He didn’t, but it doesn’t matter, I’m here now, you can tell me what you said.”

“I said a bunch of things, but the most important thing is that I love you Maeve.”

Maeve’s cheeks turned pink before she could answer. “I love you Otis.”

They melted into a kiss before laying into the bed for a while just looking at each other’s eyes.

“Do you feel better Otis?”

“I do, thank you.”

“Let’s go downstairs, your mum is worried for you.”

* * *

Jean heard the steps, she supposed that it was Maeve that was leaving. She could barely believe it when she saw both Otis and Maeve coming down smiling and holding each other’s hand.

As Otis reached his mum, he hugged her. “I’m sorry for making you worry so much mum.”

“It’s ok Otis. It’s ok now.” Said Jean before embracing Otis, then she turned to Maeve to hug her too. “Thank you Maeve.”

“My pleasure Jean.”

After a little chat Maeve said to Otis. “Let’s do the following, we are going to see Eric, he was really worried for you and after that we go at mine to talk. Is that alright Otis?”

“Yeah, of course.”

They went to Eric’s house.

Eric opened the door and as he opened the door and saw Otis, he made a loud happy squeal that made Maeve laugh. “Otis! You are here!” Eric said while hugging Otis.

“I’m sorry for not talking with you Eric.”

“It’s fine, the important thing is that you are here now Oatcake.”

“I am.”

While looking at Maeve Eric couldn’t help but to say with a smile. “Why I’m not surprised that it was Maeve the one that could help you?”

After that they went to Maeve’s trailer and they talked and talked. Maeve decided that they will try to get Otis accepted on Moordale again on Monday.

* * *

On the next Monday both went to the Principal’s office.

Luckily Ms. Sands was the new Principal and after explaining the whole situation to her she said. “Maeve vouching for you has been really important, don’t make the same mistake again Otis.”

“I won’t.”

“Glad to hear. Now go to class.”

As they came out of the office Otis hugged Maeve.

“Thank you for everything Maeve.”

“You have been there for me. It was my turn.”

“I don’t know how I can be so incredibly lucky of having someone as amazing as you next to my side, even after all I have done.”

“Otis, you are the most important person in my life, I love you, I’m not letting you waste your life.”

And with that their lips met once again, knowing that this time things would be better.


End file.
